In the performance of some operations to the eye it is necessary to remove cortical fragments and/or other debris from behind the iris, such action being preferably followed by an irrigating action in which irrigating fluid is introduced behind the iris to ensure that the place from which the cortical fragments had been removed is clear. The instrument which has been developed to perform this operation comprises a syringe attached to a double needle having two passages one of which is open at the proximal end to the barrel of the syringe and the other of which is connectible at the proximal end to a source of supply of irrigating liquid and the distal ends of the two passages are open and close to one another. In operation of the aspirating/irrigating device the piston of the syringe is advanced and the distal end of the double needle is introduced into the eye and maneuvered into the position in which the distal end of the needle is in the portion of the eye containing the cortical fragments and/or other debris. Irrigating liquid is allowed to flow into the eye cavity containing the debris and the piston of the syringe is then withdrawn to draw the irrigating liquid containing the cortical fragments and/or other debris through the tube connected to the barrel of the syringe. It usually happens that at the first withdrawal of the plunger not all the debris is removed and it may be necessary to remove the device from the eye several times so that debris which has been withdrawn from the eye may be discharged from the syringe along with irrigating liquid, the needle then being re-inserted into the eye to remove remaining debris. It has been found that this action may have to be performed as often as three or four times.
The repeated insertion of a needle into the eye is highly undesirable and it is an object of the present invention to provide an aspirating/irrigating device which requires only one insertion into an eye to remove all the debris and irrigate the eye.